Electromagnetic traction system.



G. L. STANBRO & A. D. WAGNER.

ELECTROMAGNETIC TRACTION SYSTEM APPLICATION FILED JUNE 7,1906.

Patented NOV. 16, 1909.

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GARDNER L. STANBRO AND AWREA D. W'AGNER, OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA.

ELECTROMAGNETIC TRACTION SYSTElVI.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 16, 1909.

Application filed June 7, 1906. Serial No. 320,666.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GARDNER L. STAN- 21:0 and Awnna D. WAGNER, citizensof the United States, residing at Norfolk, in the county of Norfolk andState of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Tmprovements inElectromagnetic Traction Systems, of which the following is aspecification.

Our invention relates to electro-magnetic traction systems.

The object of the invention is to provide a surface contact railwaysystem which will have all the advantages of such a system and adaptedfor street service in cities as well as suburban tratlic. Heretoforesuch systems have not been successful being only applicable to shortlengths of track in factory yards and the like.

Our present invention removes former objectious being exceedinglysimple, certain and absolutely safe besides its cheapness to installwhich is a feature not possessed by other systems the cost being aboutthe same as the ordinary overhead trolley lines.

Further objects and advantages will be more fully described herein andparticularly pointed out in the claims hereunto appended recourse beinghad to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification inwhich Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of one of the track boxes. Fig.2 is an end view of one of the track boxes one end of which is removedto show the interior. F ig. 3 is a plan of one of the track boxes. Fig.4 is a part side elevation of the car, track and the equipment under thecar. F ig. 5 is a cross section of the shoe or collector contact and itscoil taken on the line 12 in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing thecircuits of the magnetic coil and storage batteries.

In the drawings like reference numerals indicate similar parts in allthe views.

1 t) are the rails placed upon the ties 2 in the usual manner.

3 are the track boxes and are usually made of cast iron and are for thepurpose of inclosing the hereinafter described mechanism. The boxes arepreferably located in the center of the track either upon each tie orevery other one, as may be required. The boxes are provided with ears orlugs a for securing them to the ties and are also provided with movabletops 5 having packing or insulation under them as at 6, (Figs. 1

and 2). The lids or covers may be readily removed to inspect theinterior of the boxes by taking out the screws 7, as shown. The cover 5is provided with a circular perforation 8 for the vertical movement ofthe tube stem 9 which carries the contact or feeder plate 10 at itsupper end. The feeder plate has curved edges 11 in order to permit thecontact shoe on the car to pass over it, the curved edges being shown inFigs. 1 and 2. The tube 9 has an insulating plug 12 (Fig. 1) suitablyfitted into the bore at its upper end and is provided with a femalescrew thread into which is screwed the part 13. Screwed into thedepending portion 13 of the plate 10 is a pin 14: provided with a heador upset portion 15 and acts as a circuit closer the pin being inelectrical connection with the plate through which the car motors aresupplied with the current as the car passes over the plate.

16 is a spring contact tongue or clip secured to the insulating bushing17 which is in turn inserted in the upper portion of the smaller tube 18and suitably fastened thereto. The tube 18 is screwed into the bottom ofthe boX 3 and is provided with an aperture 19 for the passage of thewire 20 to an auxiliary switch mechanism which will be describedhereafter.

The tube 9 acts so as to permit the air to be compressed at its upperportion or end should the interior of the box 3 become filled with waterby leakage thus preventing it from reaching the parts I l, 15 and 16 ina manner similar to a caisson used in laying piers for bridges or othersubmarine work hence the possibility of a short circuit by the water isavoided. Although the boxes are equipped with the device described thepacking 6 will be sufficient to keep water or moisture out of the boxesin the ordinary working conditions.

21 is an aperture in the partition or division plate 22 for the serieswire 20 one of its ends being connected to the binding post 28 of thecontact tongue 24. The partition is usually cast with the boxes 3 andthus forms two independent and water tight compartments as shown inFig. 1. The tongue or contact blade 24: is disposed at an angle so as toconform to a side of the circuit closer or depending lug 25 on thecircuit closing plate 26 the former having a wedge shape as shown inFig. 1.

27 is a binding post or screw of a plate and taken with the one shown at24- forms a convergent contact medium for the wedge shape lug The plates2t and 28 are insulated from the box 3 by the insulating pieces 28.

29 is a wire from the binding post 27 to the main feeder wire 30 fromwhich the various contacts or switches are supplied with the current.

The plate or auxiliary switch 26 is provided with a hinge joint 31 andis insulated from the box 3 by the plate 32. This plate is lifted by amagnetic shoe carried by the car as is also the plate 10 both beinglifted one after the other thus making two connections in the wire 20either of which will not supply the car if operated independently. Bylifting the plate 10 by means other than the car would not cause apassage of the current unless the switch plate 26 raised which wouldrequire a strong magnetic pull through the cover hence the apparatus issafe from outside interference. it is to be noted that wagons and othervehicles may pass over the plate 10 without injury to it. After the carhas passed and the magnetic influence necessary to lift both plates hasdiminished they fall by their own weight to or contact tongue 28 theposition shown in Fig. l. The plate 26- may be made heavy as desired toe-tfect its disengagement from its contacts.

33 is a stop lug to prevent the plate 26 from being lifted too high andthe pin 3% holds the plate in the position shown in b5 4: and is themagnet core having an I shape in cross section taken with the plates 36by which it is fastened to the car 36*, the bottom portion 37 forming ashoe or contact. The shoe 3? is provided with grooves or channels 38lined with insulating material 39 (Fig. 5) and in which are placed barsor collector rods l0, composed of brass or other suitable metal and aredisposed along the length of the shoe and their object being to collectthe current from the plate 10 and prevent iron and iron from coming incontact with each other and thereby permitting an easy release of theshoe and plate 10 upon leaving other as the car passes over the plate.The rods 110 carry the current to the motors upon making contact withthe plate 10 as in Fig. 4t. The shoe 37 has turned up or curved ends tl(Fig. t) so as to readily engage the curved edges of the surface contactplate 10.

42 is a coil of wire forming an electroinagnet with the core 43 is thefeed wire from the shoe or preferably from the rods or strips 40 to thecar motors 43 (Fig. 6).

el-et is a wire of conductor from the strips 40 or wire 4L3 by which thecurrent is supplied to the magnet coil or coils T2, t?) being a wirefrom the upper end of the coil to a single pole switch 46 (Fig. 6)located on the car.

Fig. (5 shows diagram of the wiring located in the car by which the coild2 may be cut in or out also by which the storage battery may be cut into energize the coil when the car standing or away from the plates 10.Such control may be carried out from either end of the car. 46 and 50are snap switches located above the front platform at the end of the carso as to be in easy reach of the motorman and 48 and 55 are similarswitches placed at the opposite end of the car. 47 is a wire from theswitch l8, being a ground wire from the latter switch. 50 is a switchthe wire of which, 51, is connected to one terminal of the storage cell52 its other terminal being connected to the wire 54 which is in turnconnected to the switch and from said switch to the end of the coil asby the wire 56. 51 is a wire from a terminal of the battery to theswitch 50, 53 being a wire from the switch to the upper end or terminalof the magnet coil 42. As shown, the wire 49 leads from the switch t8 tothe ground. The switches 46 and 18 cut off the coil 4L2 from the currentwhile either switch 50 or connects the current from the coil to thebattery so that in working conditions the switches em and 4:8 arenormally closed and the switches 50 and are operated so as to controlthe charging of the battery The return of the current to the generatingstation is accomplished by the rail as in ordinary trolley systems butif preferred an insulated wire return can be used according tocircumstances. The shoe 37 is usually made to come in contact with oneplate 10 just as it is leaving another at its opposite end as indicatedby dotted lines in Fig. 4, the plate being of a length to reach from oneplate to another.

In practice the magnet coil apparatus is usually suspended from a rigidstationary bar or frame riding directly on the car whee] axles to insurethe magnet shoe being the same distance from the plates 10 or track asit would not be if hung from the truck frames or car body. Thearrangei'nent referred to above is, however, not shown in the drawings.

Having described our invention what we claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. A traction system comprising a contact plate for feeding the car, ahollow supporting stem therefor, a normally open switch inclosed by saidstem, a second normally open switch connected in series therewith, andmagnetic means carried by the car for closing said switches one afterthe other.

2. An electric railway system comprising a plurality of dividedhermetically sealed boxes, switches therein, an eXteriorly disposedvertically liftable switch actuating plate, a second interiorly disposedpivoted switch actuating plate, a series wire for both switches,magnetic means carried by the car for lifting one of the said switchesthrough said box in advance of the other for closing the same andcompleting the circuit and feeding the car through said exteriorlydisposed plate.

3. An electric railway system, comprising a car-feeding curved-edgevertically-movable plate, said plate being connected to an up-setcircuit closer, a stationary tube, spring contacts at the upper portionof the stationary tube, a set of angularly disposed contact plates, aswitch having a wedgeshaped circuit closer in striking alinement withsaid contact plates in series with the first named contacts, andmagnetic means carried by the car for closing and releasing saidcontacts successively.

Jr. An electric railway system comprising a multiplicity of track boxescast with a partition or division plate, switches therein, a removablecover for said boxes, a car feeding contact plate operating from theoutside of said cover, a second interiorly disposed contact plate formaking a cont-act for feeding the first named plate from the interior ofthe box, a series wire connecting both, switches, and magnetic meanscarried by the car for closing the circuit through one switch and thenthe other for feeding the car.

An electrical railway system, comprising a track box having a watertight partition therein to form two compartments, a switch in eachcompartment, an exteriorly disposed magneticallyliftable plate arrangedto operate one of said switches, a magnetically operated interiorlydisposed plate arranged to operate the other of said switches, andmagnetic devices carried by the car arranged to lift said exterior andsaid interior plates successively, and to hold said plates in theirlifted position simultaneously.

(5. An electric railway system comprising a magnet core plate having anI shape in cross section, grooves in the lower portion thereof,insulated metal bars in said grooves, a plurality of track platesmagnetically operated by said core plate, and a coil for magnetizing thecore plate.

7. An electric traction system con'iprising a core plate having groovesin its bottom portion, a plurality of conducting bars in said groovesinsulated from and extending below the surface of said core plate, trackcontact means for supplying current to the conducting bars, a wire fromsaid bars to the car motors, a coil around said core plate adapted toinduce a magnetic influence therein, and independent means forenergizing said coil.

S. An electric railway system, comprising a track, and cars adapted torun thereon, a series of boxes arranged along said track, each of saidboxes containing a pair of circuit closers, one of said circuit closershaving a portion extending without the box. a main feed wire, meanscarried by a car for operating both of said circuit closers, and acontact shoe arranged to engage the extended portion of one of saidcircuit closers for supplying current to said car.

9. An electrical railway system, comprising a track,.cars adapted to runthereon, a series of boxes arranged along said track, each of said boxescontaining a pair of circuit closers connected in series, one of saidcircuit closers having a portion extending without the box, meanscarried by acar for operating said circuit closers successively andmaintaining them in operation simultaneously, a main feed wire connectedwith one of said circuit closers, and a contact shoe arranged to engagethe extended portion of the other of said circuit closers for supplyingcurrent to said car.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto afiixed our signatures in thepresence of two witnesses.

GARDNER L. STANBRO. r-UVREA D. WAGNER. Vitnesses \VALTER B. Buanow, V.T. BURROW.

